(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk apparatus including a read/write head which records information to and/or reproduces information from a disk, the read/write head configured as a pair of upper and lower heads which are brought into contact with front and back surfaces of the disk when the disk is accessed for the recording or the reproduction.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A magnetic disk apparatus, such as a floppy disk drive, is known in which a disk cartridge containing a magnetic disk as a flexible storage medium is loaded into a read/write position, and a read/write head records information to and/or reproduces information from the magnetic disk at the read/write position. In the disk apparatus of this type, the read/write head is configured as a pair of upper and lower heads such that the upper head is brought into contact with the front surface of the disk and the lower head is brought into contact with the back surface of the disk. The recording and/or the reproducing for both the front surface and the back surface of the disk is carried out by the disk apparatus using the read/write head.
A conventional disk apparatus includes a disk loading device which loads the disk cartridge into the read/write position when it is inserted. The disk loading device includes a holder, a slider and a latch lever. The holder holds the disk cartridge when the disk cartridge is inserted. When the disk cartridge is ejected from the disk apparatus, the slider slides in the ejecting direction and moves the holder from the disk-loaded position to the insert/eject position. The latch lever locks the slider when no disk cartridge is inserted. The latch lever is rotated, when the disk cartridge is inserted into the holder, so as to unlock the slider. The holder has laterally extending pins on the side surfaces of the holder, and the slider includes slanted grooves in the side surfaces of the slider. The laterally extending pins of the holder are fitted to the slanted grooves of the slider so that the holder is supported by the slider.
In the conventional disk apparatus, a head carriage to which the upper head and the lower head are attached. The head carriage includes a carriage base and a carriage arm, and the carriage arm is rotatably fitted to the carriage base via a torsion spring. The torsion spring exerts a spring force on the carriage arm so as to force the carriage arm away from the carriage base. The upper head is mounted on the carriage arm, and the lower head is mounted on the carriage base. The carriage arm includes a pair of contact parts laterally extending from the sides of the carriage arm, and the contact parts are brought into contact with the holder.
In the conventional disk apparatus, when the disk cartridge is inserted, the holder, containing the disk cartridge, is moved from the insert/eject position to the disk-loaded position in response to the movement of the slider. The carriage arm of the head carriage is lowered through the contact between the holder and the contact parts of the carriage arm. Hence, when the disk cartridge is loaded to the read/write position, the upper head on the carriage arm is brought into contact with the front surface of the disk, and the lower head on the carriage base is brought into contact with the back surface of the disk.
Conversely, when the disk cartridge is ejected from the conventional disk apparatus, the holder, containing the disk cartridge, is moved from the disk-loaded position to the insert/eject position in response to the movement of the slider. The carriage arm of the head carriage is raised by the spring force of the torsion spring. The upper head is raised from the front surface of the disk by the movement of the holder, and a distance between the upper head and the lower head is kept.
When the above conventional disk apparatus is in the non-access position (or the disk cartridge is not inserted) and the personal computer incorporating the conventional disk apparatus is transported by the user, the upper head and the lower head, movably provided in the conventional disk apparatus, may be harmed or damaged by an external impact force during the transport.
In addition, in the above conventional disk apparatus, a supporting member which supports the upper and lower heads may be deformed or displaced by an external impact force during the transport of the personal computer. In such a case, the upper and lower heads may be hit by each other due to the deformation or displacement of the supporting member, and the upper and lower heads may be harmed or damaged. Further, in the above conventional disk apparatus, a gimbal spring which supports the read/write head may be harmed or deformed by an external impact force during the transport of the personal computer, and a malfunction of the read/write head in the conventional disk apparatus may occur.
Recently, many portable computers, such as notebook-size personal computers, incorporate the floppy disk drive therein. Since such personal computers are frequently transported by the users, and the possibility of the read/write head in the non-access position being harmed or damaged by an external impact force during the transport of the personal computer is increasing. The external impact force acting on the read/write head during the transport of the personal computer will be considerably larger than expected before. For example, it may happen that the personal computer with the conventional disk apparatus incorporated erroneously falls from the user""s hands during the transport. If the personal computer erroneously falls from the user""s hands during the transport, the upper head and the lower head are hit by each other with a considerably large external impact force, causing a serious damage of the read/write head.
It is desirable that the disk apparatus is provided with a reliable protection mechanism which protects the read/write head from being harmed or damaged. On the other hand, there is a demand for a thin, small-size structure of the disk apparatus for use in such personal computers. However, the conventional disk apparatus is not provided with a reliable protection mechanism for the read/write head, or if, a protection mechanism for the supporting member of the read/write head is provided, such a protection mechanism is inadequate for reliably protecting the read/write head from being harmed by a large impact force. Further, if a protection mechanism for the supporting member of the read/write head is provided, such a protection mechanism in the conventional disk apparatus is not configured in a thin, small-size structure for use in a portable personal computer.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved disk apparatus in which the above-described problems are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk apparatus which reliably keeps the upper and lower heads of the read/write head in the non-access position from being harmed or damaged by an external impact force, while providing a thin, small-size structure for use in a personal computer in which the disk apparatus is incorporated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk apparatus which reliably keeps the upper and lower heads of the read/write head in the non-access position from being harmed or damaged by an external impact force, while providing an increased operability of the disk apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk apparatus which reliably keeps the upper and lower heads of the read/write head in the non-access position from being harmed or damaged by an external impact force, while providing an inexpensive structure for use in a personal computer in which the disk apparatus is incorporated.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by a disk apparatus including: a disk loading device which loads a disk from an insert/eject position to a read/write position, the disk having a first surface and a second surface; a head device which records information to and/or reproduces information from the disk at the read/write position, the head device configured as a pair of upper and lower heads which are brought into contact with the first and second surfaces of the disk when the disk is loaded to the read/write position; and a shock absorbing member which is movably arranged on the disk loading device and has a shock absorbing effect on the upper and lower heads, wherein the shock absorbing member is maintained at an active position between the upper head and the lower head when the disk is at the insert/eject position, and, when the disk is loaded to the read/write position, the shock absorbing member is transferred from the active position into an inactive position where the shock absorbing member does not interfere with the head device.
In a preferred embodiment of the disk apparatus of the invention, when the disk apparatus is in the non-access position and the personal computer incorporating the disk apparatus is transported by the user, the shock absorbing member is placed at the active position between the upper head and the lower head. The upper head and the lower head are not hit by each other if an external impact force occurs during the transport of the personal computer. Both the upper head and the lower head contact the shock absorbing member if the external impact force occurs, and the impact force can be absorbed by the shock absorbing member. Therefore, the disk apparatus of the invention is effective in reliably protecting the upper and lower heads of the head device in the non-access position from being harmed or damaged by the external impact force.
When the disk apparatus is in the access position, the shock absorbing member is transferred from the active position to the inactive position where the shock absorbing member does not interfere with the head device. The disk apparatus of the invention can be configured in a thin, small-size structure. The shock absorbing member can be moved between the active position and the inactive position by utilizing the functions of the existing elements of the disk apparatus. It is not necessary to provide an additional power source, such as a drive motor, which moves the shock absorbing member between the active position and the inactive position. The disk apparatus of the invention provides a thin, small-size structure for use in a personal computer in which the disk apparatus is incorporated.
In a preferred embodiment of the disk apparatus of the invention, the disk loading device includes a holder which holds the disk when the disk is inserted in the holder, the holder having a top surface. The shock absorbing member is made of a,resilient sheet material and provided on the top surface of the holder, and the shock absorbing member is resiliently deformed when the disk is inserted into the holder, so that the shock absorbing member is lifted toward the top surface of the holder. The disk apparatus of the invention provides a thin, small-size structure for use in a personal computer in which the disk apparatus is incorporated.
In a preferred embodiment of the disk apparatus of the invention, the shock absorbing member has a shaft and is provided to be rotatable on the top surface of the holder about the shaft, and the shock absorbing member is configured such that the center of gravity of the shock absorbing member lies at the position of the shaft which is the center of the rotation of the shock absorbing member. The disk apparatus of the invention is effective in reliably protecting the upper and lower heads of the head device in the non-access position from being harmed or damaged by a lateral impact force.
In a preferred embodiment of the disk apparatus of the invention, a shock absorbing member moving device transfers the shock absorbing member from the active position into the inactive position when the disk is loaded into the read/write position by the disk loading device, the shock absorbing member moving device having a connecting hook which projects toward the inside of the holder, the shock absorbing member moving device transferring the shock absorbing member into the inactive position through a connection of the connecting hook and the disk when the disk is correctly inserted into the holder. The disk apparatus of the invention provides an inexpensive, thin, small-size structure for use in a personal computer in which the disk apparatus is incorporated.
In a preferred embodiment of the disk apparatus of the invention, the disk loading device includes a holder which holds the disk when the disk is inserted in the holder, the holder having a top surface and a bottom surface. The shock absorbing member is made of a resilient sheet material and provided on the top surface of the holder, and the shock absorbing member has a portion which projects toward the inside of the holder, and, when a disk cartridge containing the disk is inserted into the holder, the disk cartridge is depressed by the portion of the shock absorbing member toward the bottom surface of the holder. The disk apparatus of the invention is effective in reliably protecting the upper and lower heads of the read/write head in the non-access position from being harmed or damaged by an external impact force, while providing an increased operability of the disk apparatus.